For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure or experience of having Anthony Varahidis in one of your classes, you have definitely seen him around the music hall, or in one of the many ensembles he is involved in. I thought it was about time to get to know him a little better, so I managed to catch up with him in the music room recently.

Anthony is a grade 12 music student at Woburn. He is an extremely talented, well-rounded musician, actively involved in both the vocal and instrumental aspects of Woburn Music. A wonderful talent, he has been playing trombone and singing for approximately 7 years.

Anthony is involved in practically all the ensembles that the music department offers, including Chamber Choir, Madrigal Choir, Concert Choir, Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble. In addition to being an executive member of the Music Council, Anthony is a teacher’s assistant in the junior Vocal class.

Anthony’s involvement with music is not restricted to Woburn…he expands his musical interests outside of school by participating in the York Minster Park Choir (which rehearses Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:45) and taking private and personalized singing lessons.

Anthony is planning to attend the University of Toronto, where he will study voice performance. He is currently preparing for his audition to get into the U of T which consists of performing 6 classical opera pieces. In addition to the stresses of this audition, Anthony must complete an on-line registration and questionnaire.

At the culmination of Anthony’s schooling, he will be internationally recognized as an opera performer! His inspirations include everyone that has aided him on his journey to reach his goals, specifically, his family, teachers and friends. He also looks up to various performers who have gained success in the world of opera. He is excited for the new and interesting experiences that wait for him after high school, and will continue to learn and build his confidence and musical skills while attending University.

I have looked to Anthony as a role-model due to the fact that he is an older student who has a wonderful singing voice and musical technique, but also because of his fun personality and sense of humour.

We ALL know Anthony as a wonderfully dedicated asset to Woburn’s music program because of his technical skill, knowledge and friendly manner. We know he will take all that has been learned from his time at Woburn and his many talents will carry him forward in all of his future endeavors. Indeed, Anthony’s future success will give all of us who knew him a deep and heart felt sense of pride.